The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell allows the reader to live vicariously a year in the life of a bookseller in Wigtown, Scotland’s famous book town.

The book is written in diary format but with all the interest and details of a novel. Bythell’s descriptions of his regular customers, his crazy assistants, and his everyday life in a small town are a rare and welcome peak into modern Scottish living.

Each day’s entry includes the number of customers, number of books ordered online, and the cash register total for the day. Bythell notes down his book buying escapades which range from visiting retirees in their middle class homes to trekking out to near-abandoned cottages with books covered in years of dust. One catches a glimpse of the hard work and stress involved in making a used bookstore actually profitable.

Several years ago I read Three Things You Need to Know about Rockets: A Real-Life Scottish Fairy Tale by Jessica Fox, a memoir about a young American woman who decides to go work in Wigtown at a used bookstore. Turns out it was Bythell’s bookstore and it further turns out Bythell and Fox fell in love. I never ended up recommending Fox’s book because I felt as though it failed to truly immerse one in Scottish life and, instead, immersed me in Fox’s crazy love life.

Bythell’s book tells a different love story — the story of an owner’s love for his books, his shop, his town, and his customers.

Travel Notes: If you are planning to travel to Wigtown, this is an excellent choice to read. Be sure to visit “The Bookshop” when you go! This is also a great choice for anyone wanting to read about modern, everyday life in Scotland.

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My Heart’s in the Lowlands by Liz Curtis Higgs

 My Heart’s in the Lowlands by Liz Curtis Higgs is a virtual tour of some of the most beautiful and beloved places in southwest Scotland.

Liz Curtis Higgs is well-known for her historical christian fiction books set in Scotland (i.e. The Lowlands of Scotland series). In this non-fiction book Liz takes us on a 10-day journey with her around the countryside of Galloway visiting idyllic country villages, remote castles and churches, and even some of the places she used as settings in her fictional series. Liz is so enamored with the Scottish countryside that one can’t help but catch a bit of her excitement as you travel the pages of her book.

The tour begins in Glasgow as Liz collects a rental car and heads south past Sanquar to the tiny hamlet of Durisdeer. The sightseeing starts at the Durisdeer parish church and continues through the afternoon as Liz’s car winds through tiny villages and lands in the vicinity of Dumfries. We tag along as Liz gives us glimpses into each of the places she stops for a meal, throwing in Scottish vocabulary here and there to help foreigners get a feel for the words used in everyday life in the region of Galloway.

Each day is planned with historic sites, a museum or used bookstore, a handful of villages to delight any tourist, new foods to discover, and descriptions of the lush, magical countryside that enchants its visitors. Liz drives us to places like the Abbey Cottage Tearoom, the Shambellie House Museum of Costume, Drumcoltran Tower, the town of Castle Douglas, and Threave Gardens. Places full of history and overflowing with beauty appear on page after page. And Liz makes sure to tell the names of the roads she’s taking and other helpful travel info so people can find these places on their own!

Liz intersperses her touring with bits and pieces of history about the places she stops. She also includes quotes here and there from her novels. Those familiar with her books will be able to picture the places she was painting into her works of fiction. Notes are included in the back of the book so you can see what resources Liz used for her own travels (she returns to Scotland yearly) as well as for this book. She also mentions Scotland’s Gardens which is a charity listing all the private gardens open each year for a small entrance fee. It is worth checking their website for gardens in the area you may be traveling to.

Travel Notes: this would be a very helpful resource for planning a trip to the area of Galloway and Dumfries or for armchair travel in general.

The Final Curtsey by Margaret Rhodes

The Final Curtsey by Margaret Rhodes is a memoir of life as cousin to Queen Elizabeth II and Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

Margaret Rhodes was born in London but her heritage was Scottish on both her father’s side (the Elphinstone’s of Carberry Tower) and her mother’s side (the Strathmore’s of Glamis Castle). As most titled families of the time the Elphinstone family moved around to various dwellings. This meant that Margaret spent much of her childhood in Scotland either at the family home of Carberry Tower or at Glenmazeran in Inverness-shire.

Margaret’s mother, being sister to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, meant that Margaret and her siblings grew up in close proximity to their cousins Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. Margaret even served as a bridesmaid to Princess Elizabeth. The Elphinstones also hosted various members of the royal family in their family home  — Queen Mary and George V among many other lesser royals. Because of this intimacy, Margaret has many endearing and humorous anecdotes she shares from these family times. The book contains many color photographs of the royal family from throughout Margaret’s life.

Margaret describes meeting and marrying her husband, Denys Rhodes, and their years of raising four children together. In Margaret’s later years, at retirement age, she takes up the call to join her aunt’s household and become Woman of the Bedchamber. She functioned in this role of both companion and aide for eleven years and was there at the Queen Mother’s bedside when she passed away in 2002.

This memoir is not written by an accomplished writer but it is interesting and endearing because of the first-hand accounts Margaret gives of the royal family and their daily lives. For those who are avid followers of the royal family this book is a good way to learn a bit more about the Scottish connections to the throne via the Strathmore family.

Travel Notes: Glamis Castle is a lovely day out and as the ancestral home of the Strathmore family would be the perfect outing to accompany this book. You can visit the grounds of Margaret’s childhood home at Carberry Hill and even stay overnight at Carberry Tower.

For the Glory by Duncan Hamilton

For the Glory: Eric Liddell’s Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr by Duncan Hamilton is a new, full-length biography of Scotland’s beloved 1924 Olympic Champion.

Many people are familiar with Eric Liddell’s story because of the popular 1980’s movie Chariots of Fire. The movie, which included beautiful running scenes on the St. Andrew’s beach, made sure everyone who watched would know the story of how Liddell gave up his chance to win the 100 meters race because of his religious convictions against running on Sunday. Instead, Liddell ran the 400 meters, despite little competitive experience, and won it to the joy and amazement of the crowds that watched. The movie tells us little of the beginning and end of  Liddell’s life, concentrating instead on Liddell’s athletic training and Olympic victory. For the Glory fills in the blanks to give us the full picture of the life of this kind and courageous man.

Eric was born in China in 1902. His Scottish parents were missionaries there. Eric loved China, the only home that he knew, and it was hard for him to adjust to life in England at a boarding school for children of missionaries. When his parents were home on furlough the Liddells could enjoy family life, mostly in Edinburgh, Scotland. When Eric was old enough for university it was to Edinburgh University that he went and it was there that he took up running and began competing.

The Olympics of 1924 made Eric forever famous. And no one knows just how many more medals Liddell may have won if something bigger and more important hadn’t gotten in the way. Eric Liddell had grown up to be a strong Christian and it was in his heart to return to the land of his birth (China) as a missionary. For this calling he had diligently prepared. In 1925 he sailed for China to take up mission work. In 1932 he was ordained as a minister and returned again to China to carry on the work with the London Missionary Society. While in China he met, and eventually married, Florence Mackenzie. The two were very happy together and had three children.

As World War II began and continued life in China became very dangerous. Eric and Florence were split up as Eric was sent to work in war-torn and highly dangerous areas. Eventually the two made the heart-wrenching decision to send Florence and the children to Canada for safety and leave Eric in China. Eric continued on with missionary work as much as the occupying Japanese would allow but was eventually interred in a prison camp with other foreigners in 1943. There, in desperate and depressing conditions, Eric became an angel of kindness and encouragement to the hundreds of men, women, and children imprisoned in the camp. His self-sacrifice and kindness spurred on by his deep faith make him a greater hero than any Olympic gold medal could do. Eric eventually died in the prison camp of a brain tumor, expressing to the end his love for his wife and family and his total trust in God.

Travel Notes: sites of particular interest to this biography would be Edinburgh and Edinburgh University and of course the St. Andrew’s beach where the famous running scene from Chariots of Fire was filmed.

In The Footsteps of Sheep by Debbie Zawinski

In The Footsteps of Sheep by Debbie Zawinski is just the book to read if you are interested in knitting, spinning, Scottish sheep breeds, or remote Scottish hillwalking and camping!

Zawinski began with a dream of journeying “around Scotland spinning and knitting the fleece of the Scottish sheep breeds in their native haunts.” Out of this dream came her travels, eleven pairs of knitted socks and their patterns, and this beautiful book with color photographs to chronicle the adventure. It is a truly inspiring book.

Zawinski’s travels took her first to the Shetland isles in the far north where she planned to obtain wool from the “Shetland” sheep. Joan’s method of collecting wool is to walk around fields collecting tufts of wool stuck to fences, bushes, and buildings. It is these tufts that she then spins with her drop spindle and subsequently knits into socks (often while walking to her next destination). Zawinski’s companions on her trip are her rucksack, tent, and her spinning and knitting paraphernalia. Undeterred by cold or wet weather, she camps alone in the remotest of places as she progresses on her journey to collect wool.

The pilgrimage continues in search of Scottish Blackface near Loch Sween on the west coast, Hebridean sheep in the Hebrides, the Borerays on Boreray isle, the Soays on the isle of St. Kilda, the North Country Cheviots in the northwest of Scotland, the North Ronaldsays in the Orkney isles, the Castlemilk Moorits, Bowmonts, and the Cheviots in the Borders.

All along the journey Zawinski chronicles the people she meets, the hardships she encounters, the nature she observes. It is hard not to be inspired by the courage and fortitude it takes to embark on such a journey and see it through to the end.

Travel Notes: this is definitely a must-read for any knitter or spinner planning to travel to Scotland. It is also inspiring for anyone planning to hike and camp in Scotland’s remote places. Most of this book takes place in Shetland, the Orkneys, the Hebrides, the northwest, and the Borders of Scotland.

B is for Bagpipes by Eve Begley Kiehm

B is for Bagpipes: A Scotland Alphabet by Eve Begley Kiehm is the ideal book to introduce children to Scotland and give them a taste for this country. Set in the format of the multitude of other similar “alphabet books,” there is a page for each letter of the alphabet along with a corresponding Scottish word (i.e. B is for Bagpipe, H is for Haggis). A four line piece of verse gives the definition for the word and the beautiful illustrations help to show what that definition means. Even better, several paragraphs of more detailed explanations are included for each letter in the margin of the page making this book suitable for very young ages all the way to middle school.

B is for Bagpipes covers all the important Scottish topics one would want to communicate to children: bagpipes, clans, the sword dance, Edinburgh and the castle, Greyfriar’s Bobby, haggis, the islands, the Jacobites, the kilt and all that accompanies it, the Loch Ness monster, Mary Queen of Scots, wildlife, porridge, the Picts, Robert Burns, Robert the Bruce, golf, tartan, William Wallace, and more!

This book is well illustrated and the pictures capture the beauty of the country and her classic features.

Travel Notes: this book would make a great introduction to the land of Scotland for any child and would help prepare him or her for their own journey there.

Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes by Robert Louis Stevenson

Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes by Robert Louis Stevenson is a short, beautifully written description of Edinburgh by a classic author with a deep connection to this, his place of birth.

This book is divided into ten chapters. Stevenson gives particular attention to Edinburgh Old Town, Parliament Close, Greyfriars Kirk, New Town, Calton Hill, and the Pentlands. Stevenson describes the views, the buildings, the people that walk the streets, the legends that abound, the weather. He vividly captures in words the feelings that Edinburgh creates in the hearts of those who traverse her streets.

Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh in 1850 and grew up in the city, eventually becoming famous for such works as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He possessed a winsomeness with the pen that has been enjoyed by readers the world over. It is fitting that he should pay tribute to the city of his birth in the pages of this book.

“Half a capital and half a country town, the whole city leads a double existence; it has long trances of the one and flashes of the other; like the king of the Black Isles, it is half alive and half a monumental marble.”

“It was a grey, dropping day; the grass was strung with rain-drops; and the people in the houses kept hanging out their shirts and petticoats and angrily taking them in again, as the weather turned from wet to fair and back again.”

“There is no Edinburgh emigrant, far or near, from China to Peru, but he or she carries some lively pictures of the mind, some sunset behind the Castle cliffs, some snow scene, some maze of city lamps, indelible in the memory and delightful to study in the intervals of toil. For any such, if this book fall in their way, here are a few more home pictures. It would be pleasant, if they should recognize a house where they had dwelt, or a walk that they had taken.”

Travel Notes: This is an ideal book to read while you are in Edinburgh as it provides one with a beautiful introduction to each part of the city and some history behind the various sections of the city and its most famous buildings. It is also a delight to read after a visit to Edinburgh as each chapter will bring to mind memories of what was enjoyed in person.

Red Sky at Night by John Barrington

Red Sky at Night by John Barrington is an enchanting account of one shepherd’s year herding Scottish black-face sheep in Glengyle in the Trossachs near Loch Katrine. Following the rhythms of nature, Barrington takes us on a journey deep into the countryside where we behold the joys and heartbreaks of shepherding work, catch glimpses of the world which foxes, badgers, and hawks inhabit, and vicariously relish the bountiful country fare his wife serves up for dinner.

John Barrington is highly respected in Britain (and beyond) for his work with sheep and sheepdogs. He communicates his vast knowledge in a humble and subtle way that leaves the reader in awe of the skill required to be a successful shepherd. Barrington celebrates the high points of the shepherd’s year and the many joys that come with working with animals. He also does not shy away from the necessary hardships and heartaches that inevitably arise. As each season comes around Barrington includes in his narrative details about weather changes, bird migrations, flora and fauna, and community happenings.

This book is an excellent way to gain a true picture of the life of a Scottish shepherd, the important yet hard work that involves, and the beauty and joy it brings.

“The blizzard struck from the north without warning, as sudden and brutish as a Viking raid. The wind tore at everything, searching out any weak point in a quest for absolute destruction. The stout walls of Glengyle house stood firm, but outside, who could tell what havoc the furies of the night were wreaking.”

“By the time I reach the house, the other herds are already seated around the dining-table, tucking into one of Maggi’s magnificent meals. Rich steaming soup is followed with roast leg of lamb accompanied by mint sauce. A set of big bowls containing cabbage, carrots, roast potatoes and one holding a mountain of creamy mashed potatoes, together with a giant jug of thick gravy, sit in the middle of the table….Maggi follows on well with generous helpings of rhubarb crumble and custard.”

“It is not only on the arable land that a bountiful harvest is manifesting itself but along every hedgerow and in every thicket hips, haws, nuts and berries are maturing into full colour and ripeness. This wild harvest is every bit as important as that of the farmer.”

Travel Notes: If you are at all interested in Scottish sheep, shepherding, or nature this is the book to read. The book would be pertinent to many areas of Scotland but is itself set in the Trossachs, near Loch Katrine. You can find information about Glengyle House, which John Barrington lived in, here. You can even find lodgings at the nearby Glengyle Steadings.

Further Reading: It is worth noting several other titles on shepherding in the British Isles for those interested in more reading on the subject:

The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks — just out a few years ago this is an excellent choice for learning about modern shepherding in the Lake District (note: there is some language)

 

 

 

 

The Illustrated Herdwick Shepherd by James Rebanks — Rebanks’ second book including many of his own photos

 

 

 

 

The Shepherd’s View by James Rebanks — the most recent Rebanks book, again including many photos taken by Rebanks

 

 

 

 

A Shepherd’s Watch by David Kennard — lovely reading and very endearing, this book tells the life of a Devon shepherd through the seasons of the year

 

 

 

 

The Dogs of Windcutter Down by David Kennard — continues the life of a shepherd on his farm with focus on his sheepdogs

Hedderwick Highland Journey by Mairi Hedderwick

Hedderwick Highland Journey: A Sketching Tour of Scotland by Mairi Hedderwick is a lovely travel diary of eight rambles around Scotland following in the footsteps of 19th century artist John T. Reid and his original Art Rambles in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Mairi Hedderwick is a well-known Scottish author and illustrator whose sketching style is easily recognized and loved by many. Hedderwick is most famous for her Katie Morag children’s series but has also written and illustrated a handful of books for adults based on her travels around Scotland.

In Hedderwick Highland Journey Mairi decides to take the artwork and writings of John T. Reid and retrace the journeys he took in the highlands and islands in an attempt to illustrate the very same places and scenes in the twentieth century. Hedderwick intersperses descriptions of her own wanderings, mishaps, and adventures with direct quotes from Reid’s original book. It is both interesting and amusing to see the change (or lack of change) that is discovered in various places 114 years after the original rambles. Most enjoyable is seeing the art of Reid side by side with that of Hedderwick.

The book contains eight rambles which are as follows:

Ramble One: Leith, Bo’ness, Stirling, Down, Callander, The Trossachs, Loch Lomond, Tarbet, Arrochar

Ramble Two: Glasgow, The Clyde, Arran, Bute, Ardrishaig, Crinan Canal, Oban, Staffa, Iona, Mull, Coll, Tiree

Ramble Three: Oban, Ballachulish, Glencoe, Fort William, Caledonian Canal, Invergarry, Fort Augustus, Loch Ness, Inverness

Ramble Four: Skye, Portree, Sligachan, Coruisk, Staffin

Ramble Five: Dingwall, Kinlochewe, Torridon, Gairloch, Dundonnell, Ullapool

Ramble Six: Isle of Lewis, Stornoway, Gress, Garrynahine, Barvas, Ness, Butt of Lewis

Ramble Seven: Isle of Lewis, Wick, Thurso

Ramble Eight: Aberdeen, Bridge of Don, Ballater, Balmoral, Braemar, Devil’s Elbow, Spittal of Glenshee

All in all this is a beautiful book of Scottish art along with mostly interesting travel writing and an intriguing look at Scotland both historic and modern.

Travel Notes: This book would make a great travel companion if you are planning to visit any of the places mentioned in the “Rambles” above.

The Silent Traveller in Edinburgh by Chiang Yee

The Silent Traveller in Edinburgh by Chiang Yee is a unique celebration of the beauty of Edinburgh from the pen and paintbrush of a Chinese resident of the UK. Reading this book is to see the same landscape of Edinburgh but to see it through different eyes and a new perspective. It is to experience the scenes of Edinburgh through a new medium — that of the Chinese paintbrush and Chinese painting technics.

Chiang Yee came to England in the 1930’s as he was not excited about the way things were heading in China. He began publishing a series of travel books titled after his pen name which translates into English as “Silent Traveller.” His books are gentle descriptions of the landscape he sees and the people he meets laced throughout with his quiet humor and of course accompanied by Yee’s own artwork. Yee travelled to Edinburgh in 1943 and published this book in 1948.

Yee enjoys interspersing his text with quotes from famous Chinese philosophers and poets. “There must surely be some charm in everything and, that being so, we should find pleasure in any experience, however small, and not be forever looking for the exceptional.” (Chao-Jan-Ting) It seems Yee took this advice to heart as he endeavors to enjoy each aspect of his visit to Edinburgh, from the majestic castle on the hill (he admits to falling under its spell) to the incessant rain he experiences.

Chiang Yee covers most of Edinburgh and its close environs in his visit: the castle, St. Giles and the Royal Mile, the University, Calton Hill, Princes Street, Holyrood Palace and Park, Arthur’s Seat, and the Royal Botanic Garden. He is quite taken with Arthur’s Seat but insists that rather than a resting lion the ancient hill most certainly looks like a sleeping elephant!

“I like Edinburgh. But I hestitate to state the fact thus boldly lest some day I meet a Glaswegian.”

Yee was told: Scott was to Scotland what Shakespeare was to England. In response: “… but from my little experience I must say that one might be able to leave England without hearing of Shakespeare but never [leave] Scotland without hearing of Scot.”

Yee’s description of Edinburgh Castle at night: “…the Castle perfectly silhouetted in the moonlight, like an enthroned queen in a black velvet gown with a wide spreading skirt, with spires and towers of her courtiers making obeisance to her.”

Travel Notes: This is a lovely companion guide for a trip to Edinburgh, stretching the mind a bit and opening the eyes to see ordinary beauty.